Safety recycling system for a heater

ABSTRACT

A safety recycling system for a fuel-burning heater having an electric ignition circuit and a variable-rate fuel supply controlling valve comprising a safety circuit with a normally energized solenoid which is responsive either to a power failure or to an excessive operating temperature to close the fuel supply valve and open the ignition circuit and further responsive to presence of power and a proper operating temperature to permit reopening of the valve to the previously set rate and close said ignition circuit for refiring of the heater.

United States Patent [72] inventors Ray Derringer Port Edwards; Robert G. Moss, Wisconsin Rapids, both of, Wis.

[21] Appl. Nov 805,471

[22] Filed Mar. 10, 1969 [45] Patented July 6, 1971 [73] Assignee Preway Inc.

[54] SAFETY RECYCLlNG SYSTEM FOR A HEATER 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[521 0.8. Ci 431/78 [51] lnt.Cl F23n 5/24 [50] Field of Search 431/78 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l.648,389 11/1927 McCabe 1,795,814 3/1931 Williams 431/78 2.136256 11/1938 Sweet 431/78 X 2,440,405 4/1948 Johnson 431/78 X Primary Examiner-Frederick L. Mat'teson Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Dua Attorney-Hofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman & McCord ABSTRACT: A safety recycling system for a fuel-burning heater having an electric ignition circuit and a variable-rate fuel supply controlling valve comprising a safety circuit with a normally energized solenoid which is responsive either to a power failure or to an excessive operating temperature to close the fuel supply valve and open the ignition circuit and further responsive to presence of power and a proper operating temperature to permit reopening of the valve to the previously set rate and close said ignition circuit for retiring of the heater.

SAFETY RECYCLING SYSTEM FOR A HEATER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a recycling safety system for a fuelbuming heater having an electric ignition circuit wherein the flow of fuel will be terminated when there is a power failure or an excessive operating temperature in the heater and the fuel flow will be restarted when these conditions no longer exist.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved safety recycling system for a fuel-buming heater.

Another object of this invention is to provide a recycling safety system for a fuel heater having provision for terminating the supply of fuel when a power failure occurs or when an excessive operating temperature in the heater is reached with. provision for restoring the flow of fuel when the adverse con- 'mal fashion when the solenoid is energized but, upon deenergization of the solenoid, linkage members are operated to cause depression of the pin of the fuel supply valve to cut off the fuel supply flow and opening of the auxiliary switch which is in circuit with the ignitor of the heater, and reenergization of the solenoid resulting in restoration of the pin of the fuel supply valve to its previous position and closing of the auxiliary circuit to again close the ignitor circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a fuel supply unit with parts thereof broken away and having attached thereto the mechanism providing the recycling safety feature;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic of the circuit for the heater including the electrical components of the recycling safety system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The manually settable fuel oil control valve is indicated generally at in FIG. 1 and is a known construction and generally of the type shown in Biermann et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,547,995. Reference may be made to this patent for a detailed understanding of the control valve. This valve has a casing 11 which mounts a number of elements including a fuel supply valve unit 12 which is settable by acontrol knob 15 on the top of the casing and which through a linkage including.

elements 16 and 17 lifts a pin 18 movable upwardly through a sleeve 19 in the top wall of the casing 11. Normally this pin 18 is free to move upwardly responsive to. the degree of opening of valve 12. If the pin 18 is depressed it will act through the linkage including elements 16 and 17 to close the valve 12 and shut off the flow of fuel oil from the valve 10 and terminate operation of the heater to which the valve10 is connected. This operation is described in the patent referred to above wherein the pin 61 of the patent can be operated by a thermostat to control the flow of fuel oil.

As mentioned, the valve 10 is connected to a fuel oil buming heater and the conventional components of the circuitry for the heater are shown in FIG. 3 along with the components added thereto for the recycling safety system disclosed herein. The conventional circuitry includes the opposite sides 20 and 21 of the powerline with a fan motor 22 beingconnected across the line and in series with a fan-controlling switch 23. This switch is connected to the motor by wire 24 and to the side 20 of the powerline through a wire 25. An ignitor 30 is connected to one side of the line by a wire 31 and the other side thereof has a wire 32 extending; to an ignitor switch 33 which is connected to an auxiliary switch 35 by a wire 36. The auxiliary switch 35 has one terminal 40a connected to the wire 36 and the other terminal 40 connected to the line 20 and the wire 25 leading to the fan switch 23. The terminal 40 of the auxiliary switch 35 also has a wire 41 extending therefrom to a solenoid 42 with the solenoid being in series with an automatically resettable normally closed limit switch 43. This connection is by wire 44 between the switch and the solenoid. A wire 45 connects to the wire 31 and thus to the side 21 of the line. The limit switch 43 is placed within the casing of the heater and at a location to sense a maximum safe operating temperature for the heater and so long as the temperature is beneath the maximum the switch remains closed. When the maximum safe operating temperature is exceeded the limit switch 43 opens to deen ergize the solenoid 42.

The auxiliary switch 35 and solenoid 42 are mounted on a frame that can be mounted as an attachment to the casing 11 of the fuel control valve 10. This frame includes a top plate 50 and an upstanding end plate 51 with a depending casing having walls 52, 53, 54 and 55 defining an enclosure for the solenoid 42. The solenoid is mounted to the wall 53 by bolts 56. The solenoid has an armature 57 with a control member 58 in the form of a block affixed to the other end thereof. A tension spring 59 is connected between the control member as in dicated at 60 and an arm 62 in the upper corner of the enclosing casing and the spring is stretched when the solenoid is energized to draw the armature 57 into the solenoid and lower the control member 58 as shown in FIG. 2. Upon deenergization of the solenoid the spring 59 raises the control member 58 to a level above that shown in full line in FIG. 2.

The control member 58 is part of a control linkage with the linkage also including a lever having lever arms 70 and 71 and with the lever pivoted intermediate its ends in an opening 72 in the top plate 50 of the attaching frame. This results in the lever arm 70 being beneath the top plate 50 and the arm is of a length to overlie the control member 58. The other lever arm 71 extends above the top plate 50 and has an opening in an upper extension 73 thereof through which an operating arm 74 extends and is captured. This arm is pivotally mounted adjacent an end of the auxiliary switch 35 as indicated at 75 and adjacent its pivot engages. the plunger 76- of the auxiliary switch 35 and extends to a position to overlie the depressible pin 18 of the fuel control valve 10.

The auxiliary switch 35 is carried by an adjustable mounting including spaced-apart plates 80 and 81 pivoted at 82 and 83 to the top plate 50 of the attachment frame for adjustment of the position of the auxiliary switch 35 relative to the top plate 50. The auxiliary switch is urged upwardly by a spring (not shown) on a threaded member 85 engaging a flange 86 on the mounting plate 80 and threaded into a block into the top plate 50 of the attaching frame.

First, assuming that the heater is to be tired and that power is applied to the circuit shown in FIG. 3 and there is no flow of fuel set in the fuel control valve, a user of the heater rotates the knob 15 to set the desired rate of fuel flow and at this time the pin .18 moves upwardly an amount corresponding to the fuel setting. This results in upward movement of the operating arm 74 to engage the switch plunger 76 and close the auxiliary switch 35. Closing of thisauxiliary switch connects side 20 of the line to wire 36 leading to the ignitor limit switch 33. The switch 33 being normally closed results in energization of the ignitor 30. The solenoid 42 will have been energized when power is supplied to the circuit in FIG. 3 so that the control member block 58 is retracted and has not precluded movement of the operating arm 74 by upward movement of the pin 18. If a power failure occurs, the solenoid 42 is deenergizecl and the control member block 58 moves upwardly to pivot the lever arm of the control linkage and pull down the operating arm 74. This depresses the pin 18 to shut off the fuel supply and opens the auxiliary switch 35. Excessive operating temperature is sensed by the normally closed limit switch 43 and the switch opens to deenergize the solenoid 42. Again the control member 58 moves upwardly under the urging of spring 59 which is of sufficient strength to depress the operating arm 74 and lower the pin 18 to shut off the fuel supply.

After either of these malfunctions, the unit will automatically recycle. When the limit switch 43 reclose upon a decrease in temperature adjacent thereto the solenoid 42 will again be energized to retract the control member 58 against the urging of spring 59 which enables the force acting on the pin 18 to lift the pin 18 and the operating arm 74 which restores fuel flow and also closes the auxiliary switch 35 to cause operation of the ignitor 30. if the malfunction has been a power failure, restoring of power will similarly reenergize the solenoid 42 to obtain fuel flow and operation of the ignitor 30.

The safety recycling can also operate with a heater having a pilot flame wherein the fuel flow will be shut off upon a malfunction occurring and then restored.

lclaim:

1. A control system for an oil-buming heater having an electric ignition system, an ignition circuit including an ignitor switch and an auxiliary switch in series, a safety circuit including a solenoid and an automatically resettable normally closed limit switch in series with the solenoid operable in response to an excessive operating temperature in the heater, a control linkage including a control member having a first position to open the auxiliary switch and a second position permitting said switch to close, said solenoid, when energized, holding said control member in the second position, and means urging the control member to the first position whereby the action of the auxiliary switch is dependent upon the state of the solenoid.

2. A control system as defined in claim 1 including a fuel control valve, means including a movable pin for opening and closing said valve, and a movable operating member coacting with said pin and said control linkage whereby the control member in the first position causes the operating member to depress the pin and close the valve and in the second position releases the operating member permitting movement of the pin to open the valve whereby the valve and ignition circuit are conditioned for operation when the limit switch is closed and the solenoid is energized.

3. An electric ignition system for an oil heater with a safety circuit for fuel shutoff and providing recycling with automatic reignition of fuel for use as an attachment to a fuel supply system having a casing with a manually settable fuel control valve and a pin movable in response to the fuel flow setting and depressible to terminate fuel flow comprising, a normally closed automatically resettable limit switch operable in response to an excessive heater temperature, a frame attachable to said body and carrying an auxiliary switch in series with an ignitor switch, a pivoted operating arm for the auxiliary switch having a length to overlie said pin whereby said pin and auxiliary switch operate substantially together, a control member on said frame, means urging said control member to a first position, a solenoid on said frame which pulls said control member to a second position and which is in series circuit with said limit switch, and a pivoted lever acting between said control member and said operating arm to have the operating arm open said auxiliary switch and depress said pin when the solenoid is deenergized and the control member is in the first position, the operating arm closing said switch and permitting elevation of the pin when the solenoid is again energized.

4. A recycling safety system for a fuel-burning heater having an electric ignition circuit and a variable-rate fuel supply controlling valve having a movable member to control the opening thereof comprising, an auxiliary switch in said ignition circuit, means responsive to either a power failure or to an excessive operating temperature within the heater to close said valve and open said ignition circuit and responsive to a presence of power and a proper operating temperature within the heater to open said valve to the previously set rate and close said ignition circuit including an operating arm movable to act on both said movable member and said auxiliar switch, a control linkage normally urged to a position to p ace said operating arm in a position to close the valve and open the auxiliary switch, and a solenoid which, when energized, holds the control linkage out of action. 

1. A control system for an oil-burning heater having an electric ignition system, an ignition circuit including an ignitor switch and an auxiliary switch in series, a safety circuit including a solenoid and an automatically resettable normally closed limit switch in series with the solenoid operable in response to an excessive operating temperature in the heater, a control linkage including a control member having a first position to open the auxiliary switch and a second position permitting said switch to close, said solenoid, when energized, holding said control member in the second position, and means urging the control member to the first position whereby the action of the auxiliary switch is dependent upon the state of the solenoid.
 2. A control system as defined in claim 1 including a fuel control valve, means including a movable pin for opening and closing said valve, and a movable operating member coacting with said pin and said control linkage whereby the control member in the first position causes the operating member to depress the pin and close the valve and in the second position releases the operating member permitting movement of the pin to open the valve whereby the valve and ignition circuit are conditioned for operation when the limit switch is closed and the solenoid is energized.
 3. An electric ignition system for an oil heater with a safety circuit for fuel shutoff and providing recycling with automatic reignition of fuel for use as an attachment to a fuel supply system having a casing with a manually settable fuel control valve and a pin movable in response to the fuel flow setting and depressible to terminate fuel flow comprising, a normally closed Automatically resettable limit switch operable in response to an excessive heater temperature, a frame attachable to said body and carrying an auxiliary switch in series with an ignitor switch, a pivoted operating arm for the auxiliary switch having a length to overlie said pin whereby said pin and auxiliary switch operate substantially together, a control member on said frame, means urging said control member to a first position, a solenoid on said frame which pulls said control member to a second position and which is in series circuit with said limit switch, and a pivoted lever acting between said control member and said operating arm to have the operating arm open said auxiliary switch and depress said pin when the solenoid is deenergized and the control member is in the first position, the operating arm closing said switch and permitting elevation of the pin when the solenoid is again energized.
 4. A recycling safety system for a fuel-burning heater having an electric ignition circuit and a variable-rate fuel supply controlling valve having a movable member to control the opening thereof comprising, an auxiliary switch in said ignition circuit, means responsive to either a power failure or to an excessive operating temperature within the heater to close said valve and open said ignition circuit and responsive to a presence of power and a proper operating temperature within the heater to open said valve to the previously set rate and close said ignition circuit including an operating arm movable to act on both said movable member and said auxiliary switch, a control linkage normally urged to a position to place said operating arm in a position to close the valve and open the auxiliary switch, and a solenoid which, when energized, holds the control linkage out of action. 